About Us
Emergency Preparedness Solutions™®
About Us
Emergency Preparedness Solutions™® is a small business enterprise located in Utica, NY and serving clients across North America. We have been in business since 2012, providing a full range of customized comprehensive emergency and disaster preparedness services for non-profit, government, and private sectors. We specialize in:
Assessments
Essential to understanding your needs and conducting a gap analysis
Planning
Implementation-ready plans are the cornerstone of preparedness, but planning alone is not enough
Training
Prepare personnel to conduct their roles and responsibilities within a plan
Exercises
Validate plans and hone capabilities
After-Action Reports & Improvement Plans
A necessity for continuous improvement
Our Team brings real world experience to our clients, applying standards such as:
- National Incident Management System (NIMS)
- Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)
- FEMA’s Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101 (CPG 101)
- NFPA 1600/1660: Standard on Continuity, Emergency, and Crisis Management
- NFPA 3000: Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program
We have experience with niche clients, such as sporting stadiums, event centers, schools, public health and hospitals, airports, and utility providers. We are able to bring in specialized subcontractors for a range of specific capabilities as needed in our exercises. Our team has a range of backgrounds in public safety, emergency management, public health, and other related fields. To complement their expertise, our team members possess educational and professional credentials that emphasize their proficiency and capability. These include:
- Certified Emergency and Disaster Professional (CEDP)
- Certified Emergency Manager (CEM)
- Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP)
- FEMA Master Trainer
- Certified in Public Health (CPH)
Want to know what we can do for you?
Our Team
Tim Riecker
Principal Consultant / Owner
EPS’s principal consultant & owner, Tim Riecker, is recognized nationally as an expert in preparedness, Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP), and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Mr. Riecker is a FEMA Master Trainer, certified as an HSEEP instructor, and a multitude of other courses, including those on NIMS/ICS, emergency planning, instructor development, and exercise management. Mr. Riecker has over three decades of experience in public safety, including local emergency response as a chief officer, state-level emergency management as a senior manager, and public safety consulting across the nation.
As former State Training Officer (STO) and Exercise Training Officer (ETO) for the State of New York and through his work as a consultant, Mr. Riecker has worked with stakeholders across the nation within public, private, and non-government organizations; in preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. He understands the needs of different stakeholders within various sectors and industries. He has a successful record of leading complex projects involving a variety of stakeholders, personnel, and timelines.
Mr. Riecker has participated in the management of 21 Presidentially declared disasters including the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks and hurricanes Katrina and Sandy; as well as other disasters and emergencies including capsized ships, airplane crashes, and numerous severe storms and floods. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in business administration, is a Certified Emergency and Disaster Professional (CEDP), and is an NFPA 3000 (Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response) Program Specialist.
Ms. Sarah Ellis, MPH, CPH
Emergency Management Associate
Ms. Sarah Ellis is an Emergency Management Associate with EPS and has been with the company since early 2022. She holds duel Bachelor’s Degrees in Public Health and Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Public Health with a concentration in Biosecurity and Disaster Preparedness. Ms. Ellis has been as asset in a wide variety of public health-driven projects for EPS. She has directly supported COVID-19 AARs for the State of Utah and Maine CDC and led several of our local government COVID-19 AAR projects. Ms. Ellis has created numerous implementation-ready, emergency plans, ranging from continuity plans, crisis and emergency risk communications (CERC) plans, point of distribution (POD) plans, and regional distribution site (RDS) plans for local health departments, offices of emergency management, and private sector clients. Trained in HSEEP, she has directly participated in the design, conduct, and evaluation of dozens of exercises, ranging from tabletop exercises to two state-wide functional exercises involving hundreds of participants. Ms. Ellis has also been active in the instructional design process for numerous public health and emergency management courses. She is Certified in Public Health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners.